Blog Tour: 'The Poppy Factory' by Liz Trenow

For Jess and Rose, the realities of war have terrible repercussions …

2012 and Jess, an army medic, is back home following her tour of Afghanistan. Shell-shocked by what she has seen, she wonders if her life will ever be the same again. Can help come through her great-grandmother Rose’s diaries?

1922 and Rose has just welcomed her beloved husband Alfie home from the First World War. But the homecoming is not what Rose had expected; Alfie returns from war a changed man, and not the same person Rose married. As he struggles to find work and to cope with life, Rose struggles with temptation…

Can an old factory, set up to help injured soldiers, help Jess, Rose and Alfie and save them from the heartache of war?

Last year I got the opportunity to be introduced to Liz Trenow’s writing when I received a review copy of her novel ‘The Forgotten Seamstress.’ I ended up loving the book and I looked forward to her next one. A few weeks ago I was contacted to be part of the blog tour for Liz’s latest release, ‘The Poppy Factory’, which will be released on the 28^th of August. I couldn’t say yes quick enough, because I couldn’t wait to sit down with this new story. The book has a simply stunning cover and the blurb immediately managed to intrigue me as well, so I had my fingers crossed, hoping I would end up enjoying this book just as much as Liz’s previous one!

Jess works as an army paramedic; a job she has always loved and knows she was meant to do in her life. However, after coming back from her tour of Afghanistan, she is finding it difficult to get back into the routine of everyday life. Jess is physically fit, but mentally things don’t seem to go as well as she originally expected. While spending some time at her family home, she comes across a collection of diaries from her great grandmother Rose, who was married to Alfie, a World War I soldier who lost his leg and also has to try to find his place in society after the war has ended. Jess is immediately captivated by Rose’s story, and especially the similarities between her own life and Rose’s, even though it happened roughly 100 years ago, are difficult to ignore...

Liz Trenow has become one of my favourite historical authors during the past year. I really loved her novel ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’ and I enjoyed ‘The Poppy Factory’ just as much. Her writing is simply wonderful; really captivating and easy to read. Her detailed descriptions are written in such a way that it’s really easy to picture it all and I felt incredibly close to the two main characters, Jess and Rose. I really enjoyed how the book switches between time periods, the modern day and age on the one hand and around World War I on the other, and how the characters are dealing with similar issues.

I loved both Jess’ and Rose’s stories, wondering what would happen to them, even though I have to admit I enjoyed Rose’s story a tiny bit more. Liz Trenow’s strength is definitely the historical aspect of her novels, and I think I will never tire of her stories. Every time I’ll see a poppy after having read this book, I will think of the factory and Rose’s story, and I can’t wait to recommend this book to others. ‘The Poppy Factory’ is another amazing Liz Trenow read; a captivating, touching and wonderfully well-written wartime story that will stay with me for years to come.

Rating:

9,0/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Cover Reveal: 'The Poppy Factory' by Liz Trenow

I'm really excited to be part of the cover reveal for Liz Trenow's amazing new novel 'The Poppy Factor', which will be released on the 28th of August 2014!

Inspired by the upcoming anniversary of the First World War, historical fiction author Liz Trenow has penned a captivating story of two young women, bound together by the tragedy of two very different wars. 
Interviews with soldiers who have recently served in Afghanistan, along with an NHS paramedic and extensive research into the origins of the incredibly inspirational Poppy Factory which to this day helps returning soldiers to find work helped Liz to create remarkable characters inspired by real events.
With the end of the First World War, Rose is looking forward to welcoming home her beloved husband Alfie from the battlefields. But his return is not what Rose had expected. Traumatised by what he has seen, the Alfie who comes home is a different man to the one Rose married. As he struggles to cope with life in peace time, Rose wrestles with temptation as the man she fell in love with seems lost forever.
Many years later, Jess returns from her final tour of Afghanistan. Haunted by nightmares from her time at the front, her longed-for homecoming is a disaster and she wonders if her life will ever be the same again. Can comfort come through her great-grandmother Rose’s diaries?
For Jess and Rose, the realities of war have terrible consequences. Can the Poppy Factory, set up to help injured soldiers, rescue them both from the heartache of war?
I can't wait to pick up another Liz Trenow book after reading 'The Forgotten Seamstress' at the end of last year (click here to read my review). It was an amazing read, so I'm definitely looking forward to 'The Poppy Factory'!
Click here to pre-order your own copy now on Amazon! 

Blog Tour: 'The Forgotten Seamstress' by Liz Trenow (2013)

It is 1910 and Maria, a talented young girl from the East end of London, is employed to work as a seamstress for the royal family. As an attractive girl, she soon catches the eye of the Prince of Wales and she in turn is captivated by his glamour and intensity.

But careless talk causes trouble and soon Maria’s life takes a far darker turn. Disbelieved and dismissed she is thrown into a mental asylum, shut away from the real world with only her needlework for company.

Can a beautiful quilt, discovered many years later, reveal the truth behind what happened to Maria?

I hadn’t heard of author Liz Trenow before I was contacted about a spot on the blog tour for her latest release, ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’, but apparently I have been missing out on another great author! I’m so excited about being a part of this blog tour, because I immediately not just loved the sound of ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’, but also Liz Trenow’s style as a writer. In her work she manages to weave historical detail and the modern day and age together in a fascinating way, which comes back in the storylines of her previous novel ‘The Last Telegram’ and the novel that’s in the spotlight on my blog today, ‘The Forgotten Seamstress.’

When Caroline Meadows finds a gorgeous quilt she remembers from her childhood during a clean-out of her mother’s attic, she is immediately intrigued to find out more about the origins of the well-crafted piece. Not only the detailed patterns have caught Caroline’s attention, but there’s even a hidden message embroidered into the quilt. Caroline’s search brings her back to the start of the 1900’s, when talented young seamstress Maria Romano used to work for the British royal family. However, her crush on the handsome Prince of Wales unexpectedly influences the course of the rest of her life. It is now, 100 years later, up to Caroline to find out what exactly happened to Maria and to unravel the story behind that beautiful quilt.

I loved this novel; the combination of the historical aspect brought to the modern day and age was incredibly fascinating, and I loved finding out more about both Caroline and Maria. Even though the title of the novel refers to Maria, the seamstress, it is Caroline who takes on the main role in the book. We only find out about Maria’s life through old taped interviews and memories, but this actually only adds a special touch to the whole story, if you ask me. I loved how the novel itself managed to resemble the quilt that plays such a central role in the book: all kinds of different bits and pieces, brought together, to form something beautiful.   

It is clear a lot of research has gone into this novel, which results in a wonderful sense of historical detail. I’m a big fan of anything British, so the link to the British royal family and Buckingham Palace was something I specifically liked. Yet, I also loved the whole idea of this gorgeous handmade quilt with a personal story behind it. There was even a hint of mystery to the story, which made me curious to find out more and resulted in me not wanting to put the book down. Liz Trenow has delivered an intriguingly fascinating and well-written novel with ‘The Forgotten Seamstress’, and I already can’t wait until the release of her next novel, ‘The Poppy Factory.’

Rating:8,5/10

Click here to order an e-copy of 'The Forgotten Seamstress'; the paperback version is released in January 2014!

 

Upcoming blog tour: 'The Forgotten Seamstress' by Liz Trenow

On Monday the 9th of December I'm delighted to be a part of the blog tour for Liz Trenow's new novel 'The Forgotten Seamstress'! 

It is 1910 and Maria, a talented young girl from the East end of London, is employed to work as a seamstress for the royal family. As an attractive girl, she soon catches the eye of the Prince of Wales and she in turn is captivated by his glamour and intensity.

But careless talk causes trouble and soon Maria’s life takes a far darker turn. Disbelieved and dismissed she is thrown into a mental asylum, shut away from the real world with only her needlework for company.

Can a beautiful quilt, discovered many years later, reveal the truth behind what happened to Maria?

Be sure to check back on the 9th of December to read more about 'The Forgotten Seamstress'! :)